Fire close to Swan Hills, Alberta, remains stable in spread
A wildfire near the town of Swan Hills, Alberta, has been holding steady over the past day, according to updates from Alberta Wildfire on Wednesday. The fire, seven kilometres from the north-central Alberta community, hasn't expanded significantly in the past 24 hours, a welcome development for locals.
Derick Forsythe, a wildfire information officer for Alberta Wildfire, expressed satisfaction with the current situation. "The fire hasn't grown a lot in the last 24 hours, which is a good thing," he said. The fire covers an area of 22.6 square kilometers.
Additional firefighting resources are expected to arrive in Swan Hills on Tuesday. The area has been under various wildfire alerts, and extreme fire danger has been noted in northern Alberta. The wildfire had led to the evacuation of a north-central Alberta town earlier this week.
Residents evacuating the town are being directed to a reception center 120 kilometers away in Whitecourt. The town itself has declared a state of local emergency.
The wildfire was first detected on Sunday afternoon, situated eight kilometers north of Swan Hills and five kilometers west of Highway 33. The highway is closed between Swan Hills and Lesser Slave Lake to the north due to poor visibility.
Warm weather forecasted for the region has fire crews on high alert, as it will make for favorable burning conditions for the existing fuels. This increases the challenges for those fighting the fire, according to Forsythe. He emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing these conditions to minimize the wildfire's spread.
Warmer weather also brings the potential for increased lightning activity, which can spark more wildfires. Forsythe noted that early week thunderstorms led to increased lightning strikes. Alberta Wildfire has issued a 'red-flag watch' for the northwestern and central parts of the province's boreal forest due to rising temperatures and a lack of recent rain.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 41 wildfires burning across the province, including 20 that are out of control, 19 that are under control, and two that are being held. A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Lake Edith wildfire had been reclassified as being held; it remains out of control.
Amanda Anderson from our website News Edmonton contributed to this report.
The news team at News Edmonton reported a video update on the wildfire near Swan Hills, Alberta, showing the fire's status and the challenges faced by fire crews due to the forecasted warm weather and potential for increased lightning activity. In addition, they mentioned the general-news piece on the weather forecast, emphasizing the need for caution and vigilance against wildfire spread.
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